ADDRESS OF POPE FRANCIS TO THE ROMAN CURIA FOR THE CONCLUSION OF THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES

Ariccia, ItalyFriday, 14 March 2014

Fr Angelo, I would like to thank you on my own behalf and the behalf of all for your help in these days, for your closeness, for your listening. We now return home with a good seed: the seed of the Word of God. It is indeed a good seed. The Lord will send rain and that seed will grow. It will grow and bear fruit. Let us thank the Lord for this seed and for the rain that he will send to us, but we also want to thank the sower. For it was you who sowed the seed and you know how, you know how to! Because you scatter the seed here and there, not noticing where — or pretending not to notice — but still hitting the centre, going to the point. Thank you for this. I ask you to continue to pray for this “union of believers” — we are all sinners, but we all have the desire to follow and grow closer to Jesus, without losing hope in his promise and without losing our sense of humour — and from time to time greet them from afar. Thank you, Father.